Tortorella wants Kreider soon

Chris Kreider, an ’09 Rangers first-round draft pick (19th overall), won the MVP at the Beanpot Tournament in Boston, for Boston College last night.

John Tortorella:

“I didn’t see any of it. Sully (Mike Sullivan) came in and told me today and I wish that kid turned pro last year. And I hope he turns pro next year. I hope he’s with us. He’s a sophomore now, and we’re anxious to get him involved in pro hockey because we think he’s got some good stuff to offer and we want to get him tracked up here with us as soon as possible.

“I’m not sure if (he’s ready for) the National Hockey League, and even next year I’m not sure if it’s the National Hockey League if he does turn pro. But I think the sooner that you get into that grind of the American League, if that’s where you start, the better, because that’s where you learn to play the game. It’s a different game than college hockey. And I can understand. I don’t get into the personal matters as far as education. I think education’s important. I think this is a family decision. But as a coach, we want to sink our teeth into him as quickly as possible as far as getting him into a situation, to a Ranger, as quickly as possible.

“I had conversations with Ryan (McDonagh), I had conversations with (Derek Stepan) over the summer, and I had conversations with Kreider also. McDonagh and Step decided to come out, and I think that’s their call, and it’s Kreider’s call also as far as staying in (college). Selfishly for us, we want to get him to us and get working with him immediately.

“And even us, our discussions with him, are we going to hurt him by trying to get him in too quickly? So you’ve got to be careful. So we felt in watching Kreider, and all three of those guys when we talked to them, that we felt they were ready and we weren’t going to hurt them. McDonagh and Step decided to come and they’re playing with us right now. Kreider decided not to, which is fine. I’m sure he learned more going through the Beanpot and all these things, and all the World Championship games and stuff like that. It’s still a good training ground. So you’ve got to be really careful who you’re trying to get to turn pro because you may hurt them as a player, too, if you don’t allow them to develop where they’re at.”

On McDonagh saying his brief time in the AHL was invaluable:

“It’s hard (as a defenseman). It’s hard. That’s the toughest position, and down there everybody’s chasing that little black thing, and just to learn the grind of the gam at that position, the quick reads you have to make — and I think he handled himself very well. We were very patient as far as … he struggled at first and he just kept on coming on, coming on, and that’s why we felt we could make a deal in getting a forward when we were struggling with so many injuries and lacking offense. As I said, we let a pretty good defenseman go in Rozy (Michal Rozsival) because we felt McDonagh was ready to take the next step, and we feel he’s played very well for us here. He’ll go through some growing pains, but he’s played very well.”

————–

Tortorella said that Wolski was still a little sore, but that he will try to practice tomorrow. “Instead of turning it into a lingering thing, we’re trying to get him some rest,” the coach said.

Dubinsky taking the morning session off was “maintenance. We had a long day on the ice and just with his leg and all that, we just want to be smart there,” Tortorella said.

Ruslan Fedotenko worked out off the ice and is still at least a few games away, if not more.

* New York Rangers forward Brandon Prust has been fined US$100,000 stemming from his off ice altercation with league officials. He made eye contact with Gary Bettman, which led to an undisclosed upper body inury.

We let Orr go, because we needed a goon who can play hockey, but it turned out that goon couldn’t play hockey, so we went back to signing a goon who can’t play hockey, but this time, the goon couldn’t skate of his daughter’s virginity depended on it.

All while paying pretty much the same amount of money for all three.

Total screw up on Slats’ part. We might as well have kept Orr. Orr hasn’t been the same since he left. The Leafs are screwing with his mind.

Am I the only wonder curious and a little concerned about Sather’s intent between now and February 28?

The Rangers stated philsophy in terms of building a championship club appears to be stay the course (ie rebuilding via the draft and develop model) and trade to fill holes without compromising the course.

For what it’s worth, I like this approach but because the organization missed out on the opportunity to draft in the top 3 for a year or 2 by bottoming out, this is a slow and painful way. It’s better, however, than the mercenary route which we all know failed miserably twice (first Neil Smith in the late 90s, then Sather in the early 2000s) and that was followed by a pseudo mercenary route (JJ and his posse) which did bring some success, but in hindsight it was (IMO) merely a tease.

So here we are. The team is young and hard working and has truly has some potential, but there’s no getting around the 4 significant organizational gaps that won’t be easy to address. I do believe all don’t need to be filled in order to become a cup contender, but at least 2 do and if 2 others remain, the supporting cast must be strong enough to make up for those holes.

IMO, Sather has quite a challenge ahead of him. It’s one thing to be recognized as a young hard working team; in today’s cap restraining world, it’s quite another to go from there to being a true cup contender.

I honestly believe Sather will pursue Brad Richards this summer – the allure of doing so will likely be very hard for Sather to resist, given his history and the significant gap Richards will theoritically close. If Richards is the answer and is signed, Sather may be able to package guys like AA and Girardi to address another gap (ie bruising top 4 d-man).

So, it’s interesting times in RangerLand – what will happen with this club between now and the trading deadline and then what happens at the June draft and on July 1st?

Sather’s patience is both encouraging and refreshing, but given his history, how long will that patience last??

Doodie- Mike Fisher is 30, he isn’t a rental (signed through 2013) and brings much more to the table in Nashville than Kaberle does. I wouldn’t give up what Nashville did for Fisher, but he fits their needs for a few years. He brings grit, some offensive skills and leadership to Nashville.

I think 2-3 years is the horizon for the Rangers to become contenders. Anything beyond that and you’re looking at a lot of turnover due to player age and contract status. In 5 years I have to imagine that at least half the team is different than what’s on the ice today.

Stepan and Anisimov right now appear to be the team’s top choices to play 1st and 2nd line centers down the road. MDZ is the org’s hope of being the PP QB and Kreider sounds like he could be the larger sized forward that can add scoring depth. I don’t know if they necessarily need to add anymore players to fill whatever the team lacks right now, but rather wait to see how their current raw players develop.

Everyone wait and see. Burke will get what he’s asking for (or close to it).

ilb, don’t overstate Fisher’s value. He’s a 20 goal scorer that is way overpaid (cap space irrelevant to the Preds, but real dollars are important). Kaberle is one of the top PP QB’s in the league right now, rental or not. I think the Bruins pony up, especially since they already have two first rounders this year. I see the Bruins trading their first (not the Kessel one from Toronto), a prospect (Bartkowski maybe?) and a roster depth forward like Gregory Campbell.

“Seven? Yeah, I guess I could see it. Seven. Seven periods of school, seven beatings a day. Roughly seven stitches a beating, and eventually seven years to life. Yeah, you’re doing that child quite a service.”

21 points also makes him the 9th highest scoring defenseman on the PP in the league, goals or not. It’s also 3 less than 2nd place Jack Johnson, and only 6 less than 1st place Nik Lidstrom. Coincidentally, that’s how many PPGs each of them have. In other words, Kaberle is tied for the lead league in PP assists. Yandle also is tied for first, but only has 2 PPGs to his credit this year.

Oh yeah, and he plays in Toronto, where every body else on the team sucks.

Try and argue it all you want, the guy is one of the best PP QBs in the league.

Gab, so naming 8 other top guys makes Kaberle not a top guy? last I checked, there are 30 teams in the NHL. That means Kaberle has more PP points than the top defenseman on 21 other teams (not counting his own). How does that not make him a top guy?

So now a PP QB only has to assist on goals, not score them?
League leaders are determined by points.. so in that regard he’s 9th in the league in total points.

We can split hairs, yes he’s tied for the league in assists… i’m not ready to make him royalty for some assists. How many were primary? Regardless… he’s not worth the cost if the only thing he’s good for is passing to someone else on the powerplay.

Again, we have guys who are capable, but our PP sucks. He plays in TOR where everyone else sucks? Grabovski has 6 less powerplay goals than Stamkos, and more PP goals than Thornton, Heatley, Tavares, Smyth, B. Richards, Toews, Byfuglien, Pavelski… and more.

Chopper, I most definitely didn’t forget it, but you figure Fisher’s value is Fisher’s value. Now, if it came down to between two teams (which it did), I can see the Preds going over the top with the conditional, but he was commanding a first round pick regardless. A first round pick for a 20 goal scoring forward? Last year 110 forwards scored 20 goals. Not exactly like these guys can’t be found.

Meanwhile, only 15 defensemen with more than 21 PP points last year, and one of them retired (Niedermayer), another was MDZ, and another was Mark Streit, who has missed the entire season. That leaves 12 potential repeaters from last year, and Kaberle is one of the four guys who will definitely repeat, with only 2 others seemingly mathematically still capable of doing so.

I don’t see the point in trading for Kaberle or any other rental this year. We’re not going to make a Cup run, so what’s the difference if Kaberle comes in and helps us score an extra, say, 10 PPG’s or not. And 10 being generous. It’s not like that puts us over the top. I’d rather keep the draft pick.

Assists represent that goals were scored Gab. I think you were on board with my review of Gaborik in the Thrasher’s game. It’s the same principle, just put in the context that he does have an impact on his team’s PP.

If there was a measure of the quality of an assist (primary, secondary, did he make a brilliant cross ice pass that a teammate had to tap in, did he just so happen to leave the puck behind the net for his teammate to score on a beautiful end to end, etc) then maybe we’d be better able to tell whether his assist total inflates his ability, but he’s not that far off from the league lead for his position.

Puck movement has been a huge issue for the Rangers PP up until this weekend. Again, I think Kaberle’s asking price is cost prohibitive for the Rangers , but as far as the PP is concerned he’s effective in that particular role.

Gab, being a PP QB is not about scoring the goals yourself, it’s about the eventual creation of PP goals. Some score them off their own sticks, some off of someone else’s. Rafalski has only more than 5 PPGs twice in his entire career.

Ovechkin has played the PP point for the Caps for the entire 2 min penalty. and noblody gets more one-timers form the point than him, and he has not scored a single PP goal at home in one year, since last March. and only 3 on the road this season.

so it is tough to score from the point these days with shot blockers like Cally all over the league

that is why the best approach is the Girardi wrist shot looking for screens and tipins. big bodies like Boyle and Dubi have to continue to go to the front like they did in that last game. the big wind up and big blast seldom work unless you have a Holmstrom completely blocking the goalie view. and there aren’t many as effective as he is at jamming the crease.

And secondary assists are one of the most overrated stats in hockey. I’ve felt for a long time that primary assists should be the only ones that count on a stat sheet. If i make a pass D to D in my zone, and a guy like Duncan Keith, or Dustin Byfuglien rush up the ice, and make a sick pass to somebody who buries it, or they shoot, and another guy gets a rebound… that play has nothing to do with me. I got lucky.

Gab, I definitely agree that goals, assists, points do an imperfect job of measuring quality of the plays made by each respective party in order to score a goal.

One of my least favorite players from the 94 team was Glenn Anderson, because both literally and figuratively he was along for the ride. He scored a couple of goals in the finals that were absolute gimmes, one where Messier did 99% of the work to drive to the net and get McLean out of position and Anderson happened to be the guy trailing the play to tap it in. But those goals helped add to his playoff total which helped in his voting for the HOF.

Let me say this again… I love bantering/debating with guys who back it up with stats, it makes for awesome intellegent hockey talk.

And CT, i agree with you agreeing with me haha. Assists are such a tough stat to take real seriously because of the varying nature in which a player can acquire one. If a guy shoots from the point, and the puck hits my leg, bounces to my teammate, and he’s fortunate enough to score… i get an assist. For what? Getting hit with the puck.

Goals are goals… sometimes you get the gimmies, or empty netters, but alot of hard work goes in to scoring most goals… so i’ll leave that be.

I always knew that was the case, but why didn’t Keenan like Gartner? I know Gartner had gotten a reputation for not necessarily showing up in the playoffs but he was still more of a threat than Anderson. Ended up having more points than Anderson in the 94 playoffs with Toronto.

if i could find a way to the NHL i’d gladly pay you 10%, and buy everyone drinks at Warren. But if Cooke playing in the NHL reflects the state the league is in, I need to rethink whether I want to be a part of it.

Yea Doodie Kurt again nice picture but my head is shaved and I`m closer to 210 See if you werent such a terd spewing know it all individual things would be cool Where do you come off with Kreider graduates college DO YOU KNOW HIM ARE YOU ZELDA THE PSCHYIC

My thinking on Kreider is he had the opportunity to turn pro this year just the same and decided not to. It’s not like he didn’t have just as much of a chance to make the team out of camp this past year (Stepan made it). If he already passed on turning pro once, I just see him finishing his collegiate career and getting a degree. I’m not saying it’s written in stone or anything, it’s just my opinion.

And yet again, Boston has been gifted something, this time by Kaberle.
By only allowing the Bruins to speak to the Leaves, that leaves the Leaves with virtually no leverage if they want to acquire top draft picks or top talent.

What a joke. You’d think the Original 6 Leaves would bother to care about gifting the Bruins more after already gifting them 2 draft picks.

The way the Nuggets will not gift the Knicks Carmelo, soon we’ll be reading how Kaberle is to the Bruins for absolutely NOTHING. And then miraculously, Kaberle will become a good defensive defenseman with his newly found magic powers (the bruins jersey and referees)

Stuart, Kreider and Stepan are only a year apart. When Stepan decided to turn pro and try out this summer he was 21. Kreider was 20 and declined. Kreider is most likely going to be in the AHL next year even if he turns pro (“I’m not sure if (he’s ready for) the National Hockey League, and even next year I’m not sure if it’s the National Hockey League if he does turn pro.”). So not much incentive there to turn pro next year if it’s just to ride the buses.

By that time, he’ll have completed 3 years and may be interested in graduating. I assume that if a guy has gone through three years of school, he’ll just finish. McDonagh obviously didn’t follow that path, although he very seriously considered it, which was the cause of his delayed decision to turn pro. Now it seems by Tortorella’s comments that Kreider is struggling with the same decision: “I don’t get into the personal matters as far as education. I think education’s important. I think this is a family decision.” So it seems finishing school is important to him.

I’m not saying it’s a lock that he graduates, but it’s my opinion that he does.

Hey, The Nuggets wont gift Carmelo to us even though the Knicks are the only team Carmelo has wanted.

But then of course, the National Boston media spews how the Nets are one of Melo’s choices and the Lakers are interested and now after months of not being willing to sign the 3 year extension, now all of a sudden, Melo will re-up with the Nuggets.

Maybe the Leaves will decide to fugg the Bruins and not gift them Kaberle for nothing, the way the Nuggets wont’ gift us Melo for actual talent with high upside.

Or maybe Kaberle will all of a sudden decide that he is interested in being traded to the Nets or Lakers, er, scratch that, the Devils or Kings.

Tiki, I think Kaberle at this point is trying to prioritize a deal with the Bruins, but I don’t think Burke will just take whatever they offer him. I believe he will still solicit offers from other teams and then go back to Kaberle with the option of those teams.

Doodie – Let’s hope that’s the case. But since the sports world, IMO, revolves around Boston and doing whatever one team can to help Boston, I wont hold out hope that your perfectly reasoned comment will come to fruition.

On another hand, why exactly would Kaberfugg want to go to the Bruins????

Have the Bruins won anything in the last 50 years???

Is Bobby Orr still playing for the Bruins?? And diving around making easy plays look difficult???

Why not the Red Wings or the Blackhawks or another good team with cap room and financial flexibility.

ctb – it computes perfectly. The National Media is the Boston media :) And the Boston media is the Boston media. And the St. Louis and New York and Florida media are more of the Boston propaganda machines :)

1) I haven’t looked, but judging by all of the cap cutting measures they had to undertake just to get under the cap this season. the Blackhawks do not have the cap space to absorb Kaberle. Again, I haven’t looked so I could be entirely wrong about that. More importantly, Burke wants a decent forward as part of the return, and Chicago has already thinned out it’s forward pool to become cap compliant before the season. Not to mention they have Duncan Keith and a guy that is supposed to be able to QB the PP in Campbell. Bottom line: I don’t think they’re interested.

2) Detroit already has two guys that can QB the PP in Lidstrom and Rafalski. They’re not interested.

3) Boston is a top contender in the Eastern Conference and I think he feels that if he goes there he has a legitimate shot of making a deep playoff run. I certainly think their chances are better than the Rangers’, don’t you? I think even with all of your Boston hatred that you can be objective about that.

Gab – You know that I only speak the truth. I dont deal with conspiracies, only facts.

Yes, outside of NY, the NY media is described as being pro-New York, but that’s what they want you to believe :) The NY media is as anti-New York as they come.

P.S. In case anyone forgets, and since the National Boston media won’t continue reiterating the following news, Kevin Garnett is a horrible human being that insults people that suffer(ed) from cancer.

To everyone that is rightfully offended by Garnett’s comments, I apologize on behalf of that carcillo and would like to let you know that cancer survivors and victims are among the bravest people in the world.

well if Kreider intends to turn pro he should do so once the college season is over. That way he can jump right into the AHL and get some games under his belt so then next season he will be better prepared going into training camp.

Would love to meet you, Doodie! Im a much better person “in-person” than via typing on a blog. Will be here until Saturday. Thanks for the recommendation; I will have to try the tram and see the beautiful view and take pictures.

Kris Kreider is most definatly ready for the NHL! He is big enough. Most definatly fast enough. And if you watched him in last years world championships against the pros, good enough. He seems bored in college and stepped up his play in the Beanpot because it is a big tournament in college hockey. I also don’t buy the notion that he won’t be on the team this year. Putting him on Gabby’s line at left wing will make those two impossible to stop. The challenge will then for the Rangers to find a center fast enough to play with them.

oleo, that’s fair, but I think their depth of scoring is what they are hoping boosts them, not the top end talent of it. I also think that they have a lot of guys who have under achieved this year (Blake Wheeler, Nathan Horton, David Krejci, Tyler Seguin) that if they get going, will make them a more powerful force offensively.

Not to mention, they are a very physical team. Over the course of a playoff series, they can really wear down an opponent.

Their PP is middle of the pack though, and adding a few extra PP goals can really steal them a couple of games because of how solid they have been defensively.

Also, if you ride the ferry Tiki, make sure to stand on the outside at the back of the boat You get a great view of Manhattan as you pull away. I suggest doing it on Friday since we’re supposed to have nice weather.

If we could could chill measuring cyber male appendages it would be great.

Tiki- Sometimes i wonder if you even believe some of the stuff you say. Not trying to be mean, I seriously just wonder.

And i’m a Cancer survivor, and have been a cancer patient, and have looked like Vilenueva does. What Garnett said was in bad taste… just like players calling other players ‘fags’ ‘homos’ ‘queers’ ‘pansy’ and stuff i won’t even edit type. You have the Wisniewski’s making gestures, and the list goes on an on. Trash talk is a part of sports… and the more personal, the more it works. I’m sure Avery has said some foul stuff in his day.

Let’s not take our place in a glass house with a hand full of stones, start tossing them, and expect a good result.

I’m not defending Garnett. but i can’t let you bash him without mentioning our own trash talking players.

The difference between Garnett and other players is the news article about what he said. There are TONS of bad terms used that we never hear about.

Doodie, that’s awesome. In case anyone is planning a trip to Buffalo soon (you know you want to!), the observation deck on the top floor of City Hall is free and on a clear day you can see the mist from Niagara Falls.

depth might get you into the playoffs and get you past the first or second round but in order to win you MUST have top goal scorers. You cant win with a bunch of 20-25 goal scorers. you need that point per game player or 2 in there somewhere or else you cant win it all.

oleo, I hear you, but as I said, I think the hope is that a couple of the struggling guys get their games going and become that player leading up to and during the playoffs. I;m not saying it happens, I just think that’s the hope.

Gab – Yes, I believe everything I write. I oft times exaggerate, but I feel 99% of what I type.

I love you as a person, and Im really sorry that you had to suffer through something like that, and Im very grateful that you survived it. You’re an awesome guy and you make the world a better place.

In that context, I also feel bad that Jon Lester suffered from the illness and am happy that he survived.

_____________________________________________

As for your claim that our players say the same things, that’s just simply not true. Sure, our guys use the same terminology as everyone else such as offensive terms to races and sexualities, but not comments against cancer patients.

How do I know that? Because if any of our guys did, it would be immediately, IMMMMMEDIATELY plastered across the media.

Just like when Sal Alosi tripped the Miami Dolphin on the sidelines. CBS noticed the trip IMMMEDIATELY and made sure to continue driving the point home to the viewers that the Jets were dirty.

BUT, what went unnoticed and unmentioned until the Divisional Playoff Round was the Paytriots’ sideline committed the same act in Week 2, yes, Week 2, against the Jets on the same CBS with Jim Paytriots Nantz and Phil Paytriots Simms calling the game.

Sally, I kid. I have a friend who’s a Buffalo native and I bust on him all the time. He’s actually from East Amherst, so I give him crap about not even being from Buffalo too (even though I realize the wrongness of the statement).

Kane had 88 points though. Can you find a player on Boston’s roster with those kind of numbers. Not to mention had Hossa not missed the first 20+ games of the season, he would have had 35+ goals as well.

Chicago was loaded with offensive talent last year. Boston is nowhere near that class…

oleo, Hossa may have scored well in the regular season but he had only 3 goals in the playoffs. In fact, most of Chicago’s regular season goal scorers struggled in the playoffs other than Sharp and Kane.

But I do think the East is weak enough this year outside of the Flyers that the B’s could make it through depending on their matchups. They might not dominate and have to win a lot of low scoring games, but they play incredibly tight team D and have strong enough goaltending to keep them in games until they squeeze out a goal or two.

thanks. In hindsight, going through that probably made me the person I am today. I don’t wish Cancer on anyone, but it’s treatable, and with advances in medicine, people like me are still around.

I’m not saying our players call other players Cancer patients… i’m saying they’ve said things just as hurtful, maybe more hurtful. I don’t know cuz i don’t hear it, and NY players usually don’t whine to the media about what other guys call them.

I play hockey… and i engage in trash talk often. It’s not always pleasant. Sometimes it’s downright nasty. It happens. From both sides.

the 2002-03 Devils are the ONLY team in the history of the expanded NHL to win a Stanley Cup without a premier offensive talent.

However they did have a HOF goalie, 2 HOF defenseman and a HOF forward, a very recent 40 goal scorer in Elias and a defensive system that has pretty much been abolished by the NHL with the new rules in the post-lockout. They are the only exception to the rule…

Gab, you mean the 2010 Canadiens, right? That was all Jaro Halak playing some of the best goaltending I’ve seen in the past decade. It was seriously unbelievable. I watched most of those games just to see him play. Sure, he had a bad game here and there, but man, when he was on, he was unreal.

oleo, Also 94-95 Devils were without elite offensive numbers. As were the 99-00 Devils. And the 98-99 Stars weren’t exactly world beaters in the scoring department either. Nor were the 97-98 Wings (not one 30 goal scorer, only 3 with 20 plus).

you are simply proving my point. The Canadiens lost in the eastern conference semis!!!!!!! The only reason they even got that far was because Halak played out of his mind. That can only go so far as offensive will always prevail.

So i in fact, proved my point that you don’t need elite scoring to make a deep run.
So if you want to keep looking past the Canadiens, Blackhawks, and Devils (who are not the exception) and keep denying that defense and goaltending make just as much of an impact… well then i guess i’m spitting in the wind.

The Montreal Canadiens did not win the cup last season. The Blackhawks did and if Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa are all elite offesnive players. They had 3. I didnt say you need to have elite goal scorers to reach the semis or that every team that has elite players wins the cup.

Unless you are the NJ Devils, you need an elite offensive player in order to win the cup.

oleo, I don’t think your analysis is going deep enough. Yes, the teams that win the cup have had good offensive numbers, but they have strong defenses first. The teams without a strong defensive game and hot goaltending don’t make it to the Finals. I can think of only two Cup Finalists from the last 10 years that didn’t have a screaming hot goaltender during the playoffs (06-07 Senators, 08-09 Wings).

All you need is for the goaltender and defense to get you to the show and for some of your scorers to get hot at the right times. That’s Boston’s hope.

Well in the post lockout era you’ve got the Pens and Wings as winners. The Ducks had Selanne putting 90+, the Canes had Staal in his breakout year.

Then pre lockout you had the Bolts with Vinny L and St. Louis, the Wings again in 2002 with like 8 HOF players, the Avs won twice, the Wings won twice in the late 90’s with Fedorov and Yzerman, the Lemieux-led Pens twice in the early 90’s and then the 80’s being dominated by the Oilers and Islanders. If anything the Rangers in 94 had a lack of an elite scorer. Zubov had 80-something points as the leading scorer, Graves had 52 goals but that was hardly tops in the league in either category.

It’s easy to remember the Cinderella tales, but in the last 30 years more often than not it’s taken premier offensive talent to win.

CTB, the second Wings championship in the 90’s, not a single player had more than 30 goals, and only 3 had more than 20. Nobody with 70 points on the team. No elite scoring there, even if players had the reputation of elite scorers.

where did i say anything about making a deep run in any of my posts. The post that triggered this debate states:

oleosmirf February 15th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Doodie Machetto

depth might get you into the playoffs and get you past the first or second round but in order to win you MUST have top goal scorers. You cant win with a bunch of 20-25 goal scorers. you need that point per game player or 2 in there somewhere or else you cant win it all.

I admit I didn’t go through the year by year stats on those teams. Although I think a big factor for the lower totals on that team is Fedorov’s hold out that cost him most of that season. They did have a couple of guys that put up a point per game in the playoffs.

Hey Gab I see youre joining the pic party But you and your boyfriend are still way off, oh and Doodie to be respectful to Carp I wont say what a little bitch you sounded like when he asked to be respectful ” Carp let me make one thing clear WAAAAAAAAAAAA IT WAS KURT “

NYR
i loooooooooooooooooooooooooove Steve Somers
when the Rangers were in the ’94 Cup run
the only way i could listen to him in Ohio
was to sit in the car and hope that
the elements were in my favor.

i remember his program before game 7
during the Finals was kinda like a
suicide help hotline trying to keep scores
of people from jumping

actually, got through to his program once
talked to him about Kovalev
it was 2 a.m. and for some reason i was really nervous
in trying to get my thoughts just right as i waited on the line.

btw,
forgot to announce to all that Power Play Live show
on nhl network read my email in regards to the mario
whining situation….at the time they had a pittsburgh reporter
to discuss it wherein he pretty much did the unsurprising list of
excuses.

I repectfully disagree about not needing a crease clearing guy on this team (my guess if we did not need one, we would not have drafted mcilrath). I bet if you asked hank, he would say yes we need one. Staal can be physical at times, but certainly does not instill fear in anyone. I also think for a while sauer played with an edge, but that has been gone for 20 or so games (I’m sure torts said to “calm” down and not play rough).

No one on our roster is “intimidating” at all on D IMHO. If some of you do not like the term “crease clearer” would it be better if we said a “d man that physically intimidates” when referencing a physical, rough d man?

McIlrath has been compared to Scott Stevens. He was the 2nd defenseman taken in the draft that year behind Gudbranson who went 3rd overall but who didnt sign with the Panthers yet. Fowler won’t be physically dominant and that’s why he slipped so low.